A Different Path
by The Writer Es
Summary: Instead of facing the Monstrous Nightmare in the ring, Hiccup and Toothless leave Berk soon after their first encounter with Red Death, with only Astrid knowing what really happened to him. Yes, it's done to death. I'm doing it anyway. Reviews are appreciated. Rated T for minor language and for slight gore.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here is my very first attempt at creating a HTTYD fic. I LOVE this movie and its sequel, though the sequel wasn't quite as good, and I'm going to be writing the ever popular topic of "what if Hiccup and Toothless _had_ left Berk?" So here it is, and I hope that y'all like it. PLEASE tell me what you think. It helps boost my confidence!**

**Disclaimer: I love everything about this movie, but if I owned it, it wouldn't be nearly as good.**

* * *

Not long after their escape from the dragon's island, Astrid and Hiccup were sitting Toothless, who had landed on a moonlit beach. Astrid began to talk Hiccup's ear off.

"No, no, it totally makes sense." she said to him, "It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers, and that's their queen. It controls them." She leaped off Toothless and began to run towards the village. "Let's go find your dad!"

"No, no, not yet!" Hiccup interjected. "They'll… kill Toothless." He paused, then spoke again. "Astrid, we have to think this through carefully.

Astrid eyed him, incredulous.** "**Hiccup, we just discovered the dragons' nest, the thing we've been after since Vikings first sailed here. And you want to keep it a secret to protect your pet _dragon_? Are you serious?"

Hiccup stood resolute.** "**Yes." he said firmly, taking Astrid by surprise.

She looked taken aback. "Okay," she said softly, "Then what do we do?"

Hiccup frowned. "I was leaving with Toothless before you interrupted me." he said, somewhat accusingly, but there was no venom in his voice. "I'm still going to leave."

"But what would I tell your father? And the rest of the village, for that matter!" Astrid asked.

Hiccup closed his eyes and rubbed at his forehead thoughtfully. "I don't know. Whatever you want, I guess."

She nodded. "Okay." Astrid replied, "But you need to visit me at least once a year. Around Snoggletog, alright?"

Hiccup nodded. She then punched him in the arm. Hiccup winced slightly. It _hurt_! "_That's_ for kidnapping me." She informed him. She grabbed him once more, and Hiccup braced himself for another hit. Instead, she surprised him by kissing him on the cheek. "That's for… everything else."

She ran off. Leaving Hiccup rubbing the cheek in amazement. Toothless stared at him. "What are you staring at?" Hiccup said.

* * *

The dragon and the rider returned to the spot where Hiccup had been when Astrid interrupted his escape plan. "C'mon, bud," he said to the dragon, who was eyeing Hiccup's supplies with curiosity, "This time, we really _are_ leaving."

Toothless made a noise that seemed to ask, _why_?

He sighed. "Because, bud, my dad wants me to kill a dragon." At Toothless's alarmed look, he quickly added, "I don't want to, and I'm not going to, so don't worry." He mounted Toothless, and the pair set off into the sky and over the sea.

After finding a small island, more like a lump of rock isolated in the middle of the ocean, Hiccup set up a makeshift camp for the night, thinking about what he was going to do. He was only fourteen, and had already to deal with being on his one, with only Toothless for company. He sighed.

Leaning against the warm side of the Night Fury, with only one of Toothless's wings around him for warmth, Hiccup fell asleep.

* * *

The next few months were difficult. He missed his home terribly. Hel, he would even put up with Snotlout at this point. He mulled that over. Actually, no, he doubted that he would ever want to actually spend time with his annoying, over confidant, bully of a cousin.

After he got the hang of basically being a nomad, Hiccup found that he enjoyed traveling. Seeing the world, meeting all sorts of people…

Perhaps he could find some people that would like to learn about dragons. Or, maybe, he would find more Night Furies. Now _that_ would be cool.

He did find someone, after a while. A _long_ while, mind you. He was only thirteen years old, a year younger than Hiccup, and had been exiled from his village because he did not believe in harming any living creature, dragons included.

He had been wondering aimlessly through the woods on an island that Hiccup was visiting when the two boys met. The boy had been shocked and slightly scared of this skinny, freckled, ginger kid riding a Night Fury.

"How in the name of Hel did you manage to befriend a _dragon_?" the boy had exclaimed, and Hiccup chuckled.

"He was injured and I took care of him. Also, I ate a regurgitated fish. I'm pretty sure that helped."

He dismounted Toothless and held his hand out to the boy. "I'm Hiccup, and this is Toothless."

The boy took Hiccup's hand reluctantly. "Fester." he said with a grimace. "My name's Fester." Fester had dark blonde hair, brown eyes, and was of the same build as the average Viking teenager, all muscles, and slightly taller than Hiccup (_slightly_ very slightly).

Hiccup gave an understanding smile. "Yeah, parents suck at giving names, don't they? Hey, how old are you, Fester?"

"Thirteen. You?"

"Fourteen. Why are you in the woods? You know that there are _dangerous_ creatures out here, don't you?" He sly looked over to Toothless, who gave them a gummy smile.

Fester smiled back at the playful dragon. "I don't like killing things, so my village views me as a failure." He looked back to Hiccup. "What are _you_ doing out here?"

Hiccup smiled sadly. "My village doesn't know about Toothless. I got so good in Dragon Training, using dragon's weak points against them, and I was chosen to kill a Monstrous Nightmare." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "My friend and I decided that it was best for me to leave. Y'know, make it so that my father thinks I died 'making him proud' instead of as the failure he viewed me for ever since I was little."

* * *

The two boys bonded, and became friends. After several months of traveling and riding together on Toothless, they decided that it was time for Fester to get his own dragon. He ended up with a Gronkle that he named Ham.

"Ham? Why would you name a _dragon_ Ham?" Hiccup demanded when Fester revealed the name of the Gronkle.

"He reminds me of a pig, and I used to have a pet pig called Ham." was Fester's simple explanation.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "You're gonna man the camp for a few days, Fest." He said. Snoggletog was only a few days away, and he didn't want to miss his meeting with Astrid.

Fester's eyebrows furrowed. "Why? Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

Hiccup chuckled at the younger boy. "Nah, I'm just meeting up with a friend from my village. I'll be back soon." He donned a masked leather helmet that only showed his eyes before mounting Toothless and flying off. The mask was so that if anyone other than Astrid saw him, they wouldn't recognize him. He hoped.

* * *

**SOOOOO? Reviews are helpful! Thank you all for checking this out. R&R!**

**~Es**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, guys, I'm back for chapter 2! I hope that you like it, even though it's not the best. I rewrote it a few times before I decided that it was good enough...**

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* * *

They were only a two-hour flight away from Berk. Hiccup had chosen the campsite that he and Fester were staying at for that specific reason. When Toothless touched down on a snow covered beach – it was weird seeing snow, as the area that Hiccup had been staying in had a much warmer climate – there was no sign of Astrid.

Hiccup frowned slightly, but wasn't to worried, he knew that Astrid was probably having a hard time getting away from the other Viking teens, but he did hope that she would hurry up.

He felt someone tap him on the shoulder, and he jumped while letting out a (very man-like) squeal.

"What's with the mask?" It was Astrid, and Hiccup felt a great sense of relief (not that he was overly worried… because he _wasn't_!).

"To make sure that if anyone sees us they wont recognize me." Hiccup explained.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "I don't think anyone's going to-" she began, but was interrupted by someone calling her name.

"Astrid? What are you doing out here?" someone said, and the person came into view. It was Fishlegs. "And who's this?" Fishleg's hand went to his belt where Hiccup could see a small dagger.

"Um…" Astrid said, eyes flickering to Hiccup. "This is…"

"Ryder Darkmount." Hiccup said, saying the first thing that popped into his mind.

Fishlegs eyed 'Ryder' suspiciously. Then, after seeing Toothless crouched off to the side, his eyes widened and he let out a holler. "Dragon!" He began to charge the Night Fury.

"No, no!" Hiccup said, holding up his hands, "He's a _good_ dragon. His

"There's no such thing as a _good_ dragon!" Fishlegs cried in outrage, but he stopped his charge.

Astrid snorted. "Well, you've been thinking wrong. Dragons aren't bad."

"Well, not all dragons," Hiccup reminded her, "Remember the Queen?"

She shuddered. "How could I _not_?"

"Queen?" Fishlegs asked them, confused. He still was giving Toothless the evil eye.

Astrid and Hiccup exchanged looks, though Astrid could not really see Hiccups face with the mask covering it.

"Ah, we've been the dragons nest. Nasty place." Hiccup said. "The Queen dragon, I call her Red Death, controls all the other dragons, like bees."

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "You used my analogy." she commented.

"Yes, well, it was a good analogy." he admitted.

She rolled her eyes.

Fishlegs stood there for a moment, silent. Then, "I need to tell the chief!" He took off running towards the feeling.

"Are you two feeling a strong sense of déjà vu?" Hiccup asked Astrid and Toothless.

The two of them nodded.

Hiccup sighed. "Alright, let's go kidnap him."

* * *

"Put me down, put me down!"

"Not until you listen to us, 'Legs!"

"I don't wanna!"

"Stop being a baby and listen, _damnit!_"

"No!"

"It's okay, Astrid, if he doesn't want to listen we'll just let him go…"

"What?!"

"Thank you!"

"…Into the ocean."

"AH! No, no, I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" Fishlegs practically sobbed.

Hiccup gave Astrid a triumphant grin, one she did not see due to the mask that he was still wearing.

They landed on a semi-flat rock jutting up from the cold sea. Fishlegs edged as far away as he could from the other two teens and the black dragon.

"Why do I have to listen to you guys?" he asked them, glaring. "If you've been to the dragon nest with this guy, then we need to tell the chief so we can get rid of the dragons!"

"But the dragons aren't bad, they're just being controlled by the Queen." Astrid argued.

"They've burned down out houses, injured people, and they _ate_ Hiccup!" Fishlegs shot back.

"Okay, you know what? Screw it." Hiccup said, removing his mask. "Hi, Fishlegs."

The other boy gaped at him. "You, but dragons… You're alive!" A pause, and then, "Um, how are you alive?"

Hiccup laughed awkwardly. "Well, um, you've seen my friend Toothless…"

At hearing his name, Toothless gave a big, goofy grin, showing off his pink gums.

Hiccup continued, "I shot him down during a raid, y'know, when I said I killed a Night Fury." He grimaced. "Anyway, I _didn't_ kill him, obviously, and we sort of bonded. That's when I decided I couldn't kill dragons. So I left." He held out his arms. "Ta-da!"

Hiccup didn't know what he expected. Fishlegs to yell at him, maybe, or an outright attack, but certainly not _this_. Fishlegs hugged him, actually _hugged_ him.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Astrid asked him.

"I'm just so glad that you're okay." Fishlegs said, eyes wide.

"Um… thanks… I guess…" Hiccup said awkwardly. The three of them got on Toothless, It was difficult for all of them to fit, but they managed, and Hiccup brought them back to the beach.

He looked around and noticed that it was starting to get dark. "I better get back to Fester. He'll be worried." Hiccup gave Fishlegs an awkward pat on the arm, and turned to Astrid.

She punched his arm. "That's for leaving so soon," she said with a scowl, "and this is for the visit." The last part was followed by a kiss on the cheek. Fishlegs watched, amused. "Oh, and I thought you might like this." Astrid said, handing him a flask.

"What is it?" Hiccup asked curiously.

"Yacknog!" Astrid said. "I made it myself. Go on, try it," she urged, while Fishlegs made a gagging motion behind her.

Hiccup took a cautious sip and had to resist spitting it out. "Oh, thanks, Astrid," he said after he choked down the foul liquid, "It's really… something. I'll take it with me so that Fester can try some of it, too."

"Okay. Bye, Hiccup."

"Bye guys."

He mounted the black dragon, and took off.

He would burn the Yacknog as soon as he got back to camp.

* * *

**Haha, yes, I loved Astrid's Yacknog in _Gift of the Night Fury_. It was just so funny! Oh, and the _'no, no, he's a _good_ dragon' _line is a reference to one of my favorite movie lines, _'no, no, he's a _good_ zombie!'_ from _Hocus Pocus_.**

**Guys, I need a Beta Reader. BADLY. If you or someone you know would like to Beta for this story, then please let me know!**

**On a side note, I will be out of town from Tuesday-Saturday, so don't expect any updates during that time.**

**R&R!**

**~Es**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back from my trip! It was a three day camping trip in Wyoming, just outside of Rawlins. We did lots and lots of hiking. It was awful, though! I forgot just how much I hate camping, especially in Wyoming. I LOVE horse back riding out there, but camping there is awful. Anyway... Thanks to Thorongil82 for being my Beta reader. You're freaking awesome!**

***Edit 07/30/14: I just realized i had Fester introduce Hiccup as HICCUP to Elizabeth while he is now going by Ryder. thanks to** chewywing** for the correction!**

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Josh M (Guest)**: I love these kind of stories, too. I also like ones that kind of go into more depth after the big dragon battle. Anyway, thank you very much.**

dragonlover17 : **Thanks!**

Persephone Underhill**: Thanks, glad that you like it. And I ended up with a different Beta, but thanks anyway.**

* * *

"Hey, what's this?"

"No, Fester, don't drink-"

"Blegh!"

"- that. I did try to warn you." Hiccup said to his younger friend, amused, as Fester tried to rub the taste of the Yaknog off of his tongue.

"Argh, what is this stuff?" Fester complained. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"It's Yaknog. My friend made it for me," Hiccup said, laughing now. "I was going to get rid of it, but looks like you finished it off." He stared pointedly at the puddle of the offensive liquid that had spilled out of the flask when Fester dropped it.

"Is your friend trying to kill you?" Fester asked with scowl.

"Hey, she tried her best," Hiccup protested weakly, "it turns out that she's much better at being a shield maiden than a house wife."

Fester looked at him, a mischievous grin on his face. "Oh, a girlfriend, huh? So that's why you were so eager to go meet with her!"

Hiccup turned red. "Ah, no, she's not… We're not dating!"

"But would you like to be?" Fester pressed.

No answer.

"Hiccup?"

"…Maybe?"

"I knew it, our boy Hiccup's in love!" Fester crowed. He paused, then frowned. "Y'know, it's too bad that there's no one that I can really tell about this, except for the dragons…" He sighed dramatically, and leaned against a boulder. "We need more human friends!"

Hiccup shrugged. "Oh, I almost forgot, I have a new name."

"Why?"

"Just in case we come across anyone who communicates with Berk."

"Okay, then. What is it?"

"Ryder Darkmount," Hiccup said, feeling slightly embarrassed now.

"It's because you're the rider of a dark mount, isn't it?" Fester sighed. "Lame!"

"It was the first thing that I could think of," Hiccup defended. "Like you could do any better."

Fester shrugged. "I never said that I could. I just said that yours sucks."

"You're a jerk, you know that?"

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Hiccup looked around camp. "Hey, where'd Toothless and Ham go?" he asked.

Fester frowned. "I have no idea."

They heard a crash, followed by a human scream, and the growl of dragons.

Fester and Hiccup gave each other exasperated looks before heading in the direction the ruckus was coming from.

* * *

They found themselves in an old village, not a Viking one, which appeared to be abandoned. Toothless and Ham had been cornered by a young girl, she couldn't have been more than eight, who was waving a frying pan at the two dragons. The dragons themselves appeared to be in-between wanting to fry the child and to not harm it.

The little girl whacked Ham right on his nose, and the Gronkle started building up gas to fire a blast at the girl.

"Ham, no! Bad dragon!" Fester cried, running towards him.

The girl and the two dragons turned to look at him. "He tried to eat my goat!" the girl cried. There were tear tracks running down her face. She had large green eyes and brown hair tied back into a tight French braid.

"Ham," Fester said to the Gronkle disapprovingly, "no eating the nice girl's goat."

Hiccup knelt down next to the small girl. "Hi there," he said. "My name's Ryder. What's yours?"

The girl sniffed. "Katherine," she said in a small voice.

Huh. That didn't sound like a Viking name.

"And how old are you, Katherine?"

"I'm six," she replied.

Hiccup and Fester exchanged a look. She was so young to be all by herself.

"Are you out here on your own, Katherine?" Fester asked her gently.

She shook her head. "Nuh-uh, my elder sister takes care of me. She's getting fish for dinner."

As if on cue, an older girl, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, entered the village from the woods. She had light brown hair and blue eyes. She tensed as soon as she saw the two boys and their dragons.

"Lizzy!" Katherine cried happily, "Look, these boys have dragons!"

The other girl, Lizzy, eyed them suspiciously. "I can see that," she said to the younger girl. "What are you doing here?" she demanded of the boys.

"Traveling the world," Fester said easily.

"On dragons?" she asks skeptically.

"Well … yes."

"Humph." she huffed.

"Oh, I'm Fester, and this is Ryder," Fester continued, "and those are our dragons. The black one is Toothless, and the other one is Ham."

"I'm Elizabeth," she said tersely. "And I suppose you've already been introduced to my sister, Katherine."

The boys nodded.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Hiccup asked. "You two don't look much like Vikings, and this village appears to have been abandoned for a really long time."

"Our family, Katherine, my parents, and I, were traveling, and we were shipwrecked," Elizabeth said. "My parents became ill and died last winter."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hiccup said sadly. "My mother died when I was a baby."

"You guys could stay here!" Katherine piped up excitedly, "We could all live together, and have our own village!"

"Katie, they probably have families to get back to," Elizabeth said to her sister.

"Actually…" Fester said, and the two boys began their tales.

* * *

**I hope that y'all like it! Thanks for reading, don't forget to review. Also, if you want me to put an OC of yours in this story, I will take the first five people that review. Just give me a description of your character, their background, age, ect, and what kind of dragon (please use dragons that are in the movies) and I'll see what I can do! R&R!**

**~Es**


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